This evening, at least by our clocks here in the United States, residents and visitors to Indonesia and inhabitants of a few Pacific islands will be treated to one of nature's greatest spectacles, a total eclipse of the Sun.

The Moon's shadow will track across several Indonesian islands and much of the Pacific, spending most of its time over water. If you aren't in the path of the eclipse, you can view a live webcast of the event. The eclipse sets the stage for another total solar eclipse next year, the first to cross the American mainland in nearly four decades.

As the Moon's shadow will cross the International Date Line, today's eclipse will have the unusual distinction of beginning at dawn on March 9 (local time), and ending in the late afternoon of March 8. The total eclipse begins in the Indian Ocean, and the Moon's umbra (central shadow) will race across Indonesia, crossing the islands of Sumatra, Borneo, Sulawesi, among others. It then heads out over the Pacific, only touching land in a few small atolls south of Guam, most notably Woleai, where the eclipse duration of just over four minutes is near its maximum. The Moon's shadow then continues over the open ocean until totality ends at sunset northeast of the Hawaiian Islands.

Many eclipse enthusiasts, aka umbraphiles, have traveled to Indonesia (and some to Woleai) from all over the world. Others will watch the event from various cruises. A few airplanes will also fly through the umbra. Most notably, thanks to the efforts of astronomer Joe Rao and other eclipse enthusiasts, Alaska Airlines is slightly diverting one of its regular Anchorage-to-Honolulu flights (Flight 870) to intercept the Moon's shadow, providing both umbraphiles and regular passengers with an exceptional opportunity to see a total eclipse from above the clouds.

Eclipse Webcasts Although the eclipse will not be visible from the continental United States (a partial eclipse can be seen from Hawaii and most of Alaska), you can watch a live webcast of the event. The Slooh online observatory is providing a live feed from Indonesia, narrated by astronomer Paul Cox with assistance from astronomy writer Bob Berman, starting at 6 p.m. San Francisco's Exploratorium has also teamed with NASA to webcast the event from Woleai Atoll. The live feed will start at 7 p.m. ET, with narrated coverage from 8:00-9:15 p.m.

An All-American Eclipse A webcast, however, is no substitute for actually seeing an eclipse in person. Although a total solar eclipse happens somewhere on Earth every year and a half, on average, the Moon's shadow often tracks through sparsely populated or not-easily-accessible regions. This was the case with both the November 3, 2013 eclipse, which crossed equatorial Africa, and the March 20, 2015 event, which was visible only from the Faroe Islands and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard.

We in the United States have been eclipse-deprived, with the last total solar eclipse to touch the continental U.S. taking place in 1979 in the Pacific Northwest. That will change next year on August 21, when the Moon's shadow will trace a 70-mile-wide path across the U.S. from Oregon to South Carolina. The maximum length of totality will be two minutes, 40 seconds, near Carbondale, Illinois, a town that will also be near the centerline of the total solar eclipse of April 8, 2024.

But while the 2024 event crosses land from Mexico to maritime Canada, with its maximum duration in Durango, Mexico, the 2017 eclipse is unusual in that the only land that the Moon's shadow will touch is in the United States. This has led eclipse expert Michael Zeiler to dub the event the Great American Eclipse. His eponymous website provides a wide range of resources on this and other eclipses, including some good places to see the event.

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During its trek across America in 2017, the Moon's shadow will cross many notable cities and towns. Soon after landfall, it will pass over Salem, Oregon, then Idaho Falls, and Jackson and Casper, Wyoming. Alliance, Nebraska is near the centerline, and a festival will be held at Carhenge, its automotive monoliths. In Missouri, Kansas City is near the shadow's south edge, and St. Louis near the north edge, with both Jefferson City and Columbia near the centerline, as is Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Nashville lies just within the southern edge of the umbra. Columbia and Charleston, South Carolina lie within the path of totality.

The eclipse isn't quite as long in the western U.S. (two minutes in Salem, Oregon), but weather prospects are generally better. Eclipse meteorologist Jay Anderson provides detailed weather information along the entire eclipse path on his Eclipsophile website. Another great resource is retired NASA astrophysicist and eclipse expert Fred Espenak's Mr. Eclipse website. Espenak has teamed with Anderson to publish a comprehensive book (eclipse bulletin) on the event, as well as his own eclipse road atlas.

All of the continental United States will experience at least a partial eclipse in 2017, but a partial eclipse (or even an annular, or "ring of fire," eclipse), is but a pale shadow, so to speak, of a total eclipse. A partial eclipse lacks the darkness, the stars coming out in daytime, and the amazing sight of the pearly glow of the solar corona (outer atmosphere) surrounding the black disk of the Moon as it covers the Sun. If at all possible, find a way to get into the path of totality to see this extraordinary sight. Plan early, as people from all over the world will be coming to America for this spectacle.

About the Author

As Analyst for printers, scanners, and projectors, Tony Hoffman tests and reviews these products and provides news coverage for these categories. Tony has worked at PC Magazine since 2004, first as a Staff Editor, then as Reviews Editor, and more recently as Managing Editor for the printers, scanners, and projectors team.
In addition to editing, T... See Full Bio

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